Recently in Performances

On March 26, 2015, Los Angeles Opera presented Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). The Ian Judge production featured jewel-colored box sets by Tim Goodchild that threw the voices out into the hall. Only for the finale did the set open up on to a garden that filled the whole stage and at the very end featured actual fireworks.

Gotham Chamber Opera’s latest project, The Tempest Songbook, continues to
explore the possibilities of unconventional spaces and unconventional programs
that the company has made its hallmark. The results were musically and
theatrically thought-provoking, and left me wanting more.

Nixon in China is a three-act opera with a libretto by Alice Goodman and music by John Adams that was first seen at the Houston Grand Opera on October 22, 1987. It was the first of a notable line of operas by the composer.

It is thanks to Céline Ricci, mezzo-soprano and director of Ars Minerva, that we have been able to again hear Daniele Castrovillari’s exquisite melodies because she is the musician who has brought his 1662 opera La Cleopatra to life.

Puccini and his fellow verismo-ists are commonly associated with explosions of unbridled human passion and raw, violent pain, but in this revival (by Justin Way) of Moshe Leiser’s and Patrice Caurier’s 2003 production of Madame Butterfly, directorial understatement together with ravishing scenic beauty are shown to be more potent ways of enabling the sung voice to reveal the emotional depths of human tragedy.

Rarely, very rarely does a Tosca come around that you can get excited about. Sure, sometimes there is good singing, less often good conducting but rarely is there a mise en scène that goes beyond stock opera vocabulary.

The Nash Ensemble’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations at the Wigmore Hall were crowned by a recital that typifies the Nash’s visionary mission. Above, the dearly-loved founder, Amelia Freeman, a quietly revolutionary figure in her own way, who has immeasurably enriched the cultural life of this country.

On March 7, 2015, Arizona Opera presented Dan Rigazzi’s production of Die Zauberflöte in Tucson. Inspired by the works of René Magritte, designer John Pollard filled the stage with various sizes of picture frames, windows, and portals from which he leads us into Mozart and Schikaneder’s dream world.

There are some concert programmes which are not just wonderful in their execution but also delight and satisfy because of the ‘rightness’ of their composition. This Wigmore Hall recital by soprano Carolyn Sampson and three period-instrument experts of arias and instrumental pieces by Henry Purcell was one such occasion.

It has been a cold and gray winter in the south of France (where I live) made splendid by some really good opera, followed just now by splendid sunshine at Trafalgar Square and two exquisite productions at English National Opera.

At long last, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny has come to the Royal Opera House. Kurt Weill’s teacher, Busoni, remains scandalously ignored, but a season which includes house firsts both of this opera and Szymanowsi’s King Roger, cannot be all bad.

Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland returned to the Barbican,
London, shape-shifted like one of Alice’s adventures. The BBC Symphony
Orchestra was assembled en masse, almost teetering off stage, creating
a sense of tension. “Eat me, Drink me”. Was Lewis Carroll on hallucinogens
or just good at channeling the crazy world of the subconscious?

Dominic Cooke’s 2005 staging of The Magic Flute and Richard Jones’s 1998 production of Hansel and Gretel have been brought together for Welsh National Opera’s spring tour under the unifying moniker, Spellbound.

Gaetano Donizetti and Malcolm Arnold might seem odd operatic bedfellows, but this double bill by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama offered a pair of works characterised by ‘madness, misunderstandings and mistaken identity’ which proved witty, sparkling and imaginatively realised.

Saturday, February 28, 2015, was the first night for Los Angeles Opera’s revival of its 2009 presentation of The Barber of Seville, a production by Emilio Sagi, which comes originally from Teatro Real in Madrid in cooperation with Lisbon’s Teatro San Carlos. Sagi and onsite director, Trevor Ross, made comedy the focus of their production and provided myriad sight gags which kept the audience laughing.

On February 19, 2015, Pacific Symphony presented its annual performance of a semi-staged opera. This year’s presentation at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, featured Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Director Dean Anthony used the front of the stage and a few solid set pieces by Scenic Designer Matt Scarpino to depict the opera’s various scenes.

Performances

21 Sep 2011

Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park, Chicago

In a program of Italian and French arias and duets Lyric Opera gave to
Chicago audiences a preview of the first operas in its forthcoming season and
an opportunity to hear familiar voices as well as those soon destined to grace
the operatic stages of the world.

The Lyric Opera Orchestra was conducted by
Emmanuel Villaume, and Lyric Opera General Director Designate Anthony Freud
addressed in his welcome the outdoor audience of thousands assembled in
Millennium Park, Chicago. He commented on Lyric Opera’s new campaign
entitled “Long Live Passion,” as a means to celebrate the
particular feeling that opera can engender in listeners.

The first and last selections of the evening were sung by Renée Fleming who
now holds the position of Creative Consultant to Lyric Opera. In a moving
tribute to introduce the concert, which was dedicated to the memory of the
September 11, 2001 anniversary and to military personnel and first responders,
Ms. Fleming sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Rogers and
Hammerstein’s Carousel. Fleming’s other solo pieces, sung
with commitment and truly individual touches of vocal color, included
“Lauretta’s aria” from Gianni Schicchi and
Marguerite’s “Ô Dieu! Que de bijoux!” from Gounod’s
Faust.

In the first half of the concert Villaume conducted the overture to
Verdi’s Nabucco as a prelude to the vocal selections. The brass
and percussion in the overture were led with firm control, and as the woodwinds
entered one had the sense of a rounded conception. Despite some tempos taken
somewhat slowly the overall effect was a rousing statement of liberation. The
first aria, “O luce di quest’anima” from Donizetti’s
Linda di Chamounix, was performed by soprano Anna Christy. Ms.
Christy’s command of bel canto decoration was evident throughout both
parts of the aria. Her voice hovered on the declamation of “tenero
core” (“tender heart”) just as it lifted on the prediction
for her lover, “s’innalzerà” (“he will rise”). In
the second part of the aria, taken at a faster tempo Ms. Christy’s runs
and tasteful application of rubato and escape tones communicated for her
character a sense of passion as appropriate for this occasion. The following
two soloists, baritone Ljubomir Puškarič and René Barbera
performed staples of their particular repertoire. Mr.
Puškarič’s rendition of Riccardo’s “Ah! Per
sempre io ti perdei” from Act I of Bellini’s I puritani
showed a pleasing timbre with, at times, a need to focus more clearly on the
line as sung. His breath-control and unforced upper register augur well for the
future of this vocal type. Mr. Barbera sang Tonio’s aria “Ah, mes
amis” from Donizetti’s La fille du régiment. The tenor
introduced a nice sense of line to an aria which, for other singers, has often
focused instead on individual parts. At the same time, Mr. Barbera’s top
notes, released fearlessly on “mon âme” and “sa
flamme,” capped a performance which illustrated the absolute happiness of
Tonio’s epiphany.

During such a concert with manifold talents in evidence it would seem
difficult to single out individual vocalists for their memorable efforts. Yet
the performance given by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton of Léonor’s aria
“Ô mon Fernand” from Donizetti’s La favorite
deserves particular recognition. Here was a voice that showed remarkable color
and depth from the first notes of her aria. One admired the security of range
as Ms. Barton’s voice lamented the fate of her love, the vocal line
descending to heartfelt emotional depths at “Hélas! est condamné!”
(“Alas! My love is condemned!). Her ascent to top notes on
“tout” (“everything”) and “justice” and the
cry of despair, which she took forte without a trace of harshness, prepared a
transition to the middle section of the piece. At this point Léonor appeals to
God for death. Her line, “fais-moi mourir” (“make me
die”), performed by Ms. Barton with a fully rounded expressiveness, made
the character’s entreaty all the more credible. In the last segment of
the aria, taken at a brisker tempo, Ms. Barton’s melodic agility and
dramatic high notes concluding on “sera morte avant ce soir”
(“will be dead before tonight”) gave an exciting finish to this
accomplished performance. As a whole, Ms. Barton’s aria was yet another
example of the passion in which both singers and audience participate and about
which Mr. Freud spoke as being an integral part of great operatic
performances.

In the remaining selections from the first part of this concert listeners
had the opportunity to hear soprano Susanna Phillips sing the Act I duet from
Lucia di Lammermoor with Mr. Barbera taking on the role of Edgardo.
Ms. Phillips has an excellent sense of adapting her voice to a role and to the
emotional complexities as they might change even within scenes. Her
legato singing throughout was impressive, and her shading on words
such as “pensiero”and “messaggiero” made her hopes for
a letter from Edgardo seem even more plaintive. This part of the evening also
featured bass James Morris in two selections. In his performance of
Procida’s aria “O tu, Palermo” from Verdi’s I
vespri siciliani Morris’s flexible line and his superb Italian
diction made much of the aria. Before the intermission he shared the stage with
Mr. Puškarič as they sang the duet for bass and baritone from I
puritani.

In the shorter, second part of the concert both the solo and ensemble
singing continued to introduce less familiar pieces alongside well known
selections, all performed with style and commitment. Ms. Christy and Ms. Barton
performed the duet for the title character and Mallika from Delibes’s
Lakmé. The voices blended very effectively with Ms. Barton providing
just enough mezzo-soprano heft to suggest a woven texture of the two
performers. In the barcarolle from Les contes d’Hoffmann Ms.
Fleming sang together with mezzo-soprano Emily Fons. Just as in the duet from
Lakmé the two singers started at different points yet merged vocally
to achieve a rich, undulant blend. As a solo piece Ms. Fons performed afterward
the aria for Niklausse “Vois sous l’archet fremissant”
(“See beneath the quivering bow”) from Les contes
d’Hoffmann. In keeping with her character’s message to
Hoffmann Ms. Fons lent great pathos to extended low notes on
“l’amour vainqueur” (“conquering love”) and
“douleur enivrée” (“anguish of passion”). The romance
as here performed by Ms. Fons encouraged Hoffmann to find solace in art, just
as the sounds of the strings seemed to echo effectively in her delivery. Also
in this second part Ms. Phillips performed Juliette’s well known
“Je veux vivre” (“I want to live”) from Gounod’s
opera. Noteworthy was the vocal coloration by which Ms. Phillips communicated
the youthful naïvete of Juliette while other parts of the aria as sung hinted
at an adult and realistic perspective. Also included in this segment of the
concert was an ardent performance by Matthew Polenzani of Werther’s aria
“Pourquoi me réveiller” (“Why awaken me”).

The audience in Chicago was treated to a well chosen variety of vocal
splendor and has much passion ahead in the upcoming season of Lyric Opera of
Chicago.